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Lowey: Orangetown Awarded More Than $300K to Combat Opioid Abuse

ORANGEBURG, NY – Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY17/Rockland-Westchester), Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, today announced $300,338 in federal funding to combat opioid abuse in Orangetown.

“The opioid epidemic is impacting families and communities here in New York and across the country and necessitates swift action,” said Congresswoman Lowey. “With this $300,338 in federal funding, the Town of Orangetown can save lives of those struggling with opioid use by connecting them with the treatment and support services they need.”

“This over $300,000 grant will have an immediate and powerful impact in the fight against the opioid epidemic here in Orangetown,” said Chris Day, Town of Orangetown Supervisor. “The efforts of Orangetown-based Wellcore and our Police Department in securing this grant were key and will continue to be extremely important in implementing it going forward. Having this financial support from the Federal government will empower our local government to save lives and reduce the impact of drugs in our community.”

The Town of Orangetown has been awarded a $300,338 federal Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program grant, which aims to reduce opioid abuse and overdose fatalities and to mitigate the impacts on crime victims. The program supports the implementation, enhancement, and proactive use of prescription drug monitoring programs to support clinical decision making and prevent the abuse and diversion of controlled substances. These grants are administered by the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs.

The Orangetown Police Department will use this federal funding to implement the Law-Enforcement Opiate Overdose Prevention (LOOP) Initiative. Any resident who encounters the police and requests help will immediately be screened into the LOOP Initiative and referred to treatment.

Securing robust funding to respond to the opioid crisis has been a priority of Congresswoman Lowey’s. In 2017, Lowey announced $25,260,676 in federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services to New York State to combat opioid addiction through the State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grants program administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The funding was the first of two rounds provided for in the 21st Century Cures Act, which Congresswoman Lowey voted for and helped pass the U.S. House.